Improvement in hames



ANDREW B. WEAKEYS, OF MADISON oonNrrY, TENNESSEE.

'IMP'RIOVIEMENTVIN HA lVIES Specification forming part of Letters PatentNo. 173,092, dated February 1, 1876 application filed I August 26, 1875.1

To all whomt't may concern Be it known that I, ANDREW B. WEAKES,

of the county of Madison and in the State of p Tennessee, have invented.centain new and useful Improvements in Hames and do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference-being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letcess,into which is inserted a metallic plate, B,

having transverse cross-bars G G G O on its face. Running parallel withthis plate I attach a vertical rod, A, near the inner side.

The trace-connection, or what is commonly known as the loggerhead, D,has an eye on its end which slips over this rod, and it also has a slot,S,-,to allow any one of the bars 0 to pass through. A spring-rod, E,holds. the

same to the hame by being caught under a staple, h. I hinge theloggerhead 'D upon the parallel bar :A, running along the side of thehame, as shown in the annexed drawing.

' The .loggerhead slides along upon this bar,

which is in efl'ect to hinge it thereon. Of equal length and extent withthis bar A, I fasten to the side of the hame'a metal plate, B, upon thesurface of which, at equidistant spaces, I fix a series of metal uprighttransverse bars, 0 O O G. In the loggerhead D I cut a slot, S, of sizeand extent just sufficient to slip snugly over any one of these bars onwhich it may be desired to adjust it. When the, loggerhead has beenadjusted in position over any one of the bars Q G G G, for the greatersecurity of holding it in its place, a springbar, E, lying parallel withthe plate-B, and at right angles to the cross-bars O O G G, is used asshown. This spring-bar E lies (when fastened under the iron catch h)in-notches cut into the cross-bars G O 0 (Land thereby, by being sprunginto the catch a, is held rigid andfirm, and will not allow theloggerhead to slip off of the cross-bar which passes up through-the slottherein. It is well known among those experienced in the use of hames onhorses, that, owing to the wide difference in the shape of the shouldersof horses, a

hame that would evenly fit the'shoulder of one horse would lie veryunevenly against the shoulder of another. In the latter event, thepressure bein only applied in spots, so to speak, these points where thepressure is greatf est readily become bruised, and the horse is soondisabled. The common heavy-builtdraft horse has shoulders moreperpendicular than those of blooded stock,and it is all-important thatthe position of the loggerhead upon the hame should be at that pointwhere the direct pull of the trace will bring the entire sur face of thehame evenly and uniformly against This result can the shoulder of thehorse. only be reached by having the loggerheed movable, so as to varyits position upon the the hames are once placed upon the horsesshoulders, the position of the loggerhead can UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE be varied up or down at pleasure, until more equal pressure andmore uniform conformity to the shape of the shoulder is acquired. Whenthis adjustment is reached,the loggerhead is held firmly in its positionby-means of the cross-bar passing through the slotted.

opening in the logger-head, and by the pressrim of thespringbar acrossthe top. The distance between the cross-bars G O G 0 may be made tocorrespond with the width of the loggerhead, sothat if a rightadjustment of the I loggerhead cannot be accurately obtained by across-bar entering the slot, the loggerhead may be dropped into aposition between two of these bars, and then be held equally firm andimmovable. My hame is also provided with an adjustable holder to receivethe top "tie but to this I lay no particular claim.

I also state that where it is found preferable, staples for this purposemaybe used in lieu thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Thesliding connection D, having slot S, and hinged to the rod A, incombination with the plate 13, having bars 0, which pass through theslot in the connection for holding the same in position, and forming adraft-connection, all substantially as set forth.

2. The spring-rod E and staple h, connected to the hame, in combinationwith the plate B and its bars, and the slotted and adjustabletrace-connection D, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I tion I have hereunto set myhand this 18th day of June, 1875.

ANDREW R. WEAKES.

Witnesses:

H. H. GURTIss, L. T. LINDSEY.

